I didn't tell Vicki but last night security from Clearwater Beach
Marina called and said the boat was leaning and maybe it was taking on water
from all the water from the storm. I
knew that too many cases of water were on the left side of the boat, so I didn't worry
about it. I didn't have electric last
night and this afternoon we got to the boat.
Well the boat was there and it hadn't sunk, that was a good sign. So I hopped in the boat, turned the keys, and
luckily the engines fired right up. At that point I opened up all the windows and
started moving the boat over to the gas pump.
I gassed up, did what we needed to do and set course for our
home port in Hernando Beach Florida. We
took it easy and went slow. Made it all
the way over by Tarpon Springs where I saw the light house and the power plant
and then kept on going. At that point I
must have went off course slightly, hit a bit of a low spot but was able to get
though it quickly.
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| Leaving Clearwater Beach |
Then the next marker in my mind was the Hudson Beach
area. I got through that, headed for the
home stretch. It seemed I needed to be
out just a little bit further. Started
to get to another low area where there were some large rocks, but made it
through all right and got further out. I
got around the turn area, made it into our channel and followed the path back
to the Yacht Club, our home port.
The water was calm when I got back, and my buddy Terry and
his wife Suzanne were there to help us dock up, which was nice because it was
just getting dark. I couldn't have timed
it any better. The sun was just sinking
into the water.
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| I'm just getting into my home port when the sun is sinking into the water. |
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| My Friends At The Dock Happy To See Us |
Now the next immediate thing I need to do with the boat is
get the electric fixed and get it hooked up to shore power. But we made it back safe and sound and the
boat ran well all the way from the Vinoy marina in St Petersburg Florida to
Clearwater Beach and to Hernando Beach.
Although many things went wrong, my trusty icemaker never failed on me once. I always had ice for the rum.
Welcome back Captain ! Glad to hear you made the 2-day return voyage home with no major problems.
ReplyDeleteIn spite of problems and setbacks during the last 3 weeks, you and Vicki have learned a lot, and have demonstrated remarkable perseverance and resilience in the face of adversity. I commend you both !
Thanks for bringing my daughter home safely.
Thank you very much for your nice comments, Don. It's been a learning experience and things that knock you down in the long run just make you stronger. As for your daughter, I will always bring her home safely. She is the love of my life.
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